Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is natural gas cooled to a liquid state. atmospheric pressure, it condenses to a liquid. sulfur, and some of the heavier hydrocarbons.
When
natural gas is cooled to a temperature of approximately -256F at To liquefy natural gas, The volume of this liquid impurities that would freeze are removed, such as water, carbon dioxide, takes up about 1/600th of the volume of natural gas at a stove burner tip. LNG weighs about 45 percent as much as water and is odorless, colorless, non-corrosive, and non-toxic.
LNG FAQ, 1
aluminum prismatic tanks with balsa wood supports and insulation of plywood and urethane, carried an LNG cargo from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Canvey Island, United Kingdom. This event demonstrated that large quantities of liquefied natural gas could be transported safely across the ocean. LNG has also been used as a vehicle fuel since the mid 1960s.
LNG supplies
both raw materials and energy for a range of industrial and manufacturing
facilities, have been constructed worldwide to liquefy and store natural gas during warmer months for vaporization and injection into local pipelines during cold weather. These peak shaving facilities primarily to serve residential and small commercial customers. Alternative Motor Fuel to Diesel. With only one carbon and four hydrogen atoms per molecule, methane is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. In liquid form, much more fuel can be stored aboard vehicles than as compressed natural gas (CNG) so it is well suited for high-fuel-consumption vehicles.
What is the difference between LNG, CNG, NGL, LPG, and GTL?
It is important to understand the differences between Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Natural Gas Liquids (NGL), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Gas to Liquids (GTL). The chart below shows the difference in typical composition of these products.
Butane
LPG
Pentane
GTL 0 20 40 60 80 100
LNG is made up of mostly methane. The liquefaction process requires the removal of the non-methane components like carbon dioxide, water, butane, pentane and heavier components from the produced natural gas. CNG is natural gas that is pressurized and stored in welding bottle-like tanks at pressures up to 3,600 psig. NGLs are made up mostly of molecules that are heavier than methane like ethane, propane, and butane. LPG is a mixture of propane and butane in a liquid state at room temperatures. GTL refers to the conversion of natural gas to products like methanol, diethyl ether (DME), middle distillates (diesel and jet fuel), specialty chemicals and waxes.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fish and Wildlife Service Army Corps of Engineers Minerals Management Service Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
water (212F) does not change, even with increased heat, as it is cooled by In much the same way, LNG will stay at near constant temperature if kept at constant pressure. This phenomenon is As long as the steam (LNG boil off vapor) is allowed to leave the tea kettle (tank), the temperature will remain constant. This boil off is captured by the LNG facilities and ships and used as fuel or sent to the pipeline grid.
Is LNG safe?
LNG has been safely handled for many years. The industry has maintained an excellent safety record, especially over the past 40 years. The safe and environmentally sound operation of these facilities, both ships and terminals, and the protection of these facilities like other critical parts of the energy infrastructure from terrorist activities or other incidents are a concern and responsibility shared by operators as well as federal, state and local authorities across the U.S. Onshore LNG facilities are industrial sites and, as such, are subject to all rules, regulations and environmental standards imposed by the various jurisdictions. These same or similar concerns apply to natural gas storage, pipeline transportation, distribution and consumption of natural gas.
compromises in design of a new tank at the Cleveland facility. and secure operation.
All LNG
storage tanks everywhere in the world utilize the proper materials for safe
In addition to Cleveland, there are other U.S. incidents sometimes attributed to LNG. Some parties have cited a construction accident on Staten Island in 1973 as an "LNG accident" because the construction crew was working inside an empty LNG tank. In another case, the failure of an electrical seal on an LNG pump in 1979 permitted gas (not LNG) to enter an enclosed building. A spark of indeterminate origin caused the building to explode. As a result of this incident, the electrical code has been revised for the design of electrical seals used with all flammable fluids under pressure for any site. On January 19, 2004 there was an explosion at the Sonatrachs Skikda LNG export facility in Algeria that killed 27 people. According to Sonatrach, at 6:40 pm there was an explosion at a liquefaction unit. The blast damaged other liquefaction units that were in operation. The LNG storage tanks were not damaged by the explosion. The liquefaction units were shut down and the fire, after burning eight hours, was extinguished by the industrial and regional fire brigades
2
following
planned
emergency
procedures.
liquefies natural gas for export. Import terminals in the U.S. do not include liquefaction units and associated equipment such as boilers. other industrial sites in developing countries. incident has also brought attention to the importance of safety at LNG and
Bachir ACHOUR & Ali HACHED; Sonatrach: The Incident at the Skikda Plant: Description and Preliminary Conclusions," LNG14, Session 1, DOHA-Qatar, March 2004,.
LNG FAQ, 8
of LNG facilities.
Fires
If LNG is released in the presence of an ignition source, a fire will result from the continuous evaporation of the LNG contained within the impoundment. Since this fire would burn with intense heat, firefighting and other safety equipment is installed at terminals and onboard ships to help manage an incident. "Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities: Federal Safety Standards" are found in Title 49 CFR Part 193.
fire. LNG vapors do not catch fire as easily as those of other common fuels such as jet fuel or propane (LPG) These fuels ignite at much lower In concentrations in air and much lower auto-ignition temperatures. can persist longer for other fuels than for LNG.
addition, LNG vapors dissipate more easily, meaning that potential hazards
All of these fuels, and more, are used safely every day, with very few incidents, in a wide range of locations and settings and to improve quality of life.
industry sponsored tests and resulted in engineering data that permit the LNG facility designer to configure very reliable LNG fire control systems.3,4
H. H. West, L.E. Brown and J.R. Welker, Vapor Dispersion, Fire Control, and Fire Extinguishment for LNG Spills, Proceedings of the Spring Technical Meeting of the Combustion Institute, San Antonio (1975). 4 Fire Protection Handbook, Volume II, Gulf Publishing, Houston (1983).
In addition, the stringent design parameters for LNG import terminals require that proper measures are in place in the unlikely event of a spill or equipment failure.
are
there
additional
safety
To ensure safety for transportation of LNG, the USCG requires safety zones The safety zones prohibit entry by other ships thereby helping to eliminate the possibility of a collision of an LNG ship with another
LNG FAQ, 12 UH IELE. No reproduction, distribution or attribution without permission.
ship. In fact, the concept of a safety zone is not confined to shipping. Like the safety zones applied in operating aircraft or automobiles and trucks, LNG safety zones allow a safe stopping distance in the event that another ship loses control. A USCG escort boat manages the safety zone around a ship. The USCG uses safety zones to centrally manage and coordinate shipping traffic in coordination with port authorities. managed crews, shipping risks are well managed. Through the use of strict operational procedures, putting a priority on safety and well-trained, well-
prevent contact between the product and surrounding people and product. The design of LNG tanks and piping prevents releases or spills. If there is a rupture of a segment of piping in the facility, a spill of LNG could occur. The facility is designed so that such a spill would be contained. Liquid would accumulate in one of several catch basins, where it would evaporate. Emergency shutdown systems would be involved to minimize any release. The tank impoundment in the facility can contain at least 100 percent of the LNG tank volume, which assures that the release from any accident will be fully contained. The rate of evaporation and the amount of vapors generated are dependent on the amount of liquid spilled and the surface area of the catch basin.